This invention relates generally to dental equipment, and more specifically it relates to a device that can be used by a dentist to facilitate the performance of a dental procedure. The invention is a dry field tongue guard that that is placed intra-orally to draw saliva from the mouth so that the saliva does not accumulate and interfere with a procedure that is being performed by the dentist.
Many dental procedures require the removal of saliva from the mouth so that the saliva does not interfere with the procedures. Saliva ejectors are therefore standard pieces of dental office equipment. A typical saliva ejector is in the form of a hook-shaped tube. One end of the saliva ejector is connected to a flexible suction tube while the opposite end is placed in the mouth. The hook-shape allows the ejector to hang over the lower lip and into the mouth. Saliva is sucked out of the mouth and carried away.
It is important in many procedures to have a saliva ejector which can be effective over a relatively large area, and this is one of the objectives of the present invention. It is also often important for a saliva ejector to be effective in keeping the tongue from interfering with the area of the mouth in which a procedure is being performed, and this is another objective of the invention. The present invention relates to a dry field tongue guard that is effective to suck saliva from a comparatively large area of the mouth while at the same time keeping the tongue from interfering with a dental procedure.
The dry field tongue guard of the present invention also possesses the ability to be quickly and reliably adjusted to a patient's mouth when put to use, and it also has the ability to be quickly and conveniently removed after use. Briefly, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises in combination, an evacuation tube that may be somewhat hook-shaped, a tongue guard that is fitted onto the interior end of the evacuation tube, a tongue sheath that fits over the tongue and coacts with the tongue guard, and a chin blade that is fitted onto the exterior end of the evacuation tube and engages the underside of the chin to keep the dry field tongue guard in place in the mouth. The dry field tongue guard may be fabricated in different sizes to accommodate different size mouths such as adult and children.